Eliminate Cats Proposed By New Zealand Economist

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - An economist and environmentalist is causing a cat fight in his home country. He suggested that to save birds, cats need to be eliminated.

Gareth Morgan said he would like to see New Zealand free of cats. Morgan called on his countrymen Tuesday to make their current cat their last in order to save the nation's unique native birds.

He doesn't suggest people kill their cats, but rather neuter them and not replace them when they die.

His ideas are not sitting well in a country with one of the highest cat ownership rates in the world. Cat lovers say they don't want to be deprived of the companionship a cat brings.

According to Yahoo, a 2011 survey by the New Zealand Companion Animal Council found that 48 per cent of New Zealand households owned at least one cat, significantly higher than in other developed nations.